November 12, 2007

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has named Louisville (KY) Mayor Jerry Abramson as an honorary member. Abramson will receive the award at ASLA’s annual meeting next fall. Abramson will be honored along with environmental activist Robert Redford, author William McDonough and former Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut. Abramson was cited for his work on the development of Waterfront Park and the creation of City of Parks, a proposed ring of parks along the borders of Jefferson County. “This is a humbling honor and it’s a testament that our city values its environment and parks,” Abramson said. “We have a long tradition of excellence in landscape architecture in Louisville.”

Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson officially declared November 5 the “Carl B. Stokes Week” to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the historic election of Carl B. Stokes as the first elected black mayor of a major American city.

The Washington (DC) Convention Center has been renamed the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in honor of the first modern mayor in the city’s history.

The late Washington was appointed mayor in 1967 by President Johnson and went on to win election in 1974, after Congress approved home rule for the city. He lost to Marion Barry in 1978, but continued to be a political mentor to city officials until his death in 2003.

The current Washington (DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said Washington had led the city through political and cultural change and steered the nation’s capital during some of its most difficult times, including the riots after the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Schenectady’s Democratic Mayor Brian Stratton is being mentioned as a possible Congressional candidate for a seat representing seven eastern New York counties. The news follows the announced retirement of New York Representative Michael R. McNulty, Democrat, who announced October 29 he would retire. Stratton’s father, Sam Stratton, held the Congressional seat before McNulty.

Youngstown (OH) Mayor Jay Williams was honored with the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The award was presented to Williams, the youngest and the first African-American Mayor of Youngstown, by Caroline Kennedy at a luncheon ceremony held November 7 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards honor Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities with their commitment to public service.

Mayors throughout the country are encouraging safer environmental practices. Mayors John Street and Martin Chavez of Philadelphia and Albuquerque, respectively, received “green” awards on behalf of their cities. Albuquerque Mayor Chavez accepted the 2007 Green Champion Award from the New Mexico Association of Energy Engineers this September. Albuquerque was given the accolade due to a number of long-standing initiatives, including participation in the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Street accepted the Green Power award last month, given by Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, due to a plan to buy all of Philadelphia’s city hall power from wind energy sources. PennFuture awards 30 Green Power awards yearly to outstanding public and private energy saving entities.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon announced that city hall and two courthouses will now be cleaned in an environmentally sound way, eliminating the use of all toxic cleaning products. The mayor plans for all Baltimore city buildings to eventually use environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Minneapolis Mayor Raymond Rybak is leading his city by example with green transportation. Rybak decided to use a plug-in gas-electric hybrid car as his official automobile. Though the mayor previously used a gas-electric car, newer plug-in technology allows him to drastically reduce his gasoline intake and expenses.

Last month, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that the city’s Care Not Cash program had reached a significant milestone by placing over 2,000 homeless individuals in permanent housing since the program’s implementation in 2004. The program utilizes “permanent supportive housing”, featuring support services and access to medical treatment on'site. The Care Not Cash program is part of Newsom’s 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness, the cornerstone of which is to place the 3,000 chronically homeless individuals in San Francisco into permanent housing facilities.

The Care Not Cash program replaces traditional shelters and homeless services. The program aims to bring housing and necessary services together, providing a permanent housing solution before offering services. Of the city’s estimated 15,000 homeless individuals, about 3,000 were classified in 2004 as “chronically homeless”, the largest concentration of chronically homeless in the country. In three years the program has managed to provide permanent housing and services to two-thirds of its target audience.